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   Fleetwood RUFC 0 Eccles RUFC 22
Eccles travelled to Melbourne Ave, Fleetwood with a focussed mindset that nothing but a win would do. After the dismal display up in Whitehaven, the side welcomed back the core contingent that had put the Gorton St men in third place. The game had to be moved to the neighbouring school fields as the Fleetwood pitches resembled the North Pier at low tide. Eccles began brightly and tore into the opposition who seemed to carry on from where they left off after their earlier defeat in the season at the hands of Eccles - the much vaunted Fleetwood team were once again demolished in the tight and with Greg Wilson leading the way in the backrow, the loose three were allowed to ably support the backs. The improving Chris Finch was first to go over after outstripping the centre and winger to stretch over for a fantastic opening try, converted by Finch. Fleetwood were starting to show signs of brittleness as the inside centre saw fit to retaliate after a good tackle which saw him having a ten minute spell behind the sticks, Finch once again slotting the kick to make it 10 - 0 at half time. Into the second half and as the pitch tore up, so did the heart of the Fleetwood defence as strong runs from Andy Maddocks and Greg Wilson created more opportunities for the backs who looked to have the beating of their opposite men, Danny Nicholls was ever the live wire and with Will Hamer putting the opposition on the back foot with sensible kicking the Fleetwood men were looking bemused. When Fleetwood finally gained some possession they were met with a solid blue and white wall and this frustration spilled over on a couple of occasions to the amusement of the Eccles pack who took everything thrown at them. Roger Banks had his couple of strong runs only to be chopped down by Eccles captain Sean Griffin and with Steve Lillie securing possession another Fleetwood idea was scuppered. Fleetwood rang the changes and likewise Eccles introduced some but it was the visitors who continued to launch attacks deep into Fleetwood's half. Simon Donovon showed 'Bolt' like pace and with Ross Seward inter changing passes with Donovon it was Seward who slid over for an excellent effort. Were Eccles finished - No chance, substitute Mark Greenhalgh hit a ball on the inside and sprinted over from twenty yards to the astonishment of the Fleet crowd, converted by Finch. The referee produced a red in the closing moments as the Fleet flanker saw fit to headbutt the Eccles stand off and shortly after the final whistle blew. Eccles will go into this weeks game against Heaton Moor on a high however there is loads to work on as on reflection this should have been a forty point victory. Source: Eccles RUFC. Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
